cyanohydrin

Also known as cyanohydrins

thumb|right|The structure of a general cyanohydrin.

Wikidata facts

Image: Cyanohydrin-general-2D-skeletal.png

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Commons category: Cyanohydrins
canonical SMILES: OC([*])([*])C#N
CXSMILES: OC([*])([*])C#N |$;;R;R$|

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~3 min read

Article

6 sections

Contents

Preparative methods
Transhydrocyanation
Asymmetric cyanohydrin formation
See also
References
External links

thumb|right|The structure of a general cyanohydrin.

In organic chemistry, a cyanohydrin or hydroxynitrile is a functional group found in organic compounds in which a cyano and a hydroxy group are attached to the same carbon atom. The general formula is , where R is H, alkyl, or aryl. Cyanohydrins are industrially important precursors to carboxylic acids and some amino acids. Cyanohydrins can be formed by the cyanohydrin reaction, which involves treating a ketone or an aldehyde with hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the presence of excess amounts of sodium cyanide (NaCN) as a catalyst: